Crimson
by Harmony283
Summary: [Prequel to Hidden Past] Jay is 11 years old and is still Solon's apprentice. What happens when he meets a Radiant Girl named Ruby and Vaclav shows up asking to hire a Ninja for a job...and he's chosen? R&R Rated M to be safe
1. Ruby

**Crimson **

**By Harmony283**

**Summary: **Jay is eleven years old, and he's still an apprentice to Solon. What happens when, after a successful assassination he is followed by a Radiant girl named Ruby?

**Time-line: **5 years before the game

**A/N: **Another ToL fic from me. Honestly, I really shouldn't be thinking up any more ideas, especially when I have some other things to finish. But meh, oh well. This is the prequel to Hidden Past—or at least that's what I'm hoping for this to be. I'm still not sure on some details that I want to put in Hidden Past, but as of right now this is the prequel. Well, I'll stop talking now…

Enjoy!

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**An** Eleven year old boy with raven black hair—held off to the side by two black ribbon-like hair ties—and violet eyes crouched down on the tree limb he had been resting on. His eyes narrowed as he peered out through the green leaves of his hiding place. His eyes wandered across the ground, leaving not an inch unscathed from his ice cold gaze. 

He was searching for something.

And he found it...or rather _them_.

In one leap he hurled out from his hiding place and landed gracefully on the pathway below. Gasps could be heard from the ones he had stopped as he drew out a single gleaming knife. He held it up, letting the sun glint off its silver blade before starting into a full dash towards his victim.

A few minutes later—fifteen at most because of the boys lightning speed—the raven haired boy was sitting off to the side, his hands dirty and his clothes splattered with blood. Mounds in the dirt next to the road showed the quick make-shift graves he had made. They were graves for his victims.

He turned briefly to look at them before pulling out the same knife he had used to kill them with. The once silver blade was now a sickening crimson, coated with blood from the all too successful assassination.

The boy let out a sigh and started off at a fast pace down the pathway back into the forest. As he walked along, staring at the beautiful flowers—blue with white stripes on the petals—he couldn't help but smile.

"This place is so peaceful." He murmured to himself, "For the mainland anyway." He let out a sigh and stopped for a moment, running his hands through his hair, "Yeah…especially since Gardoria…and then…the war that might happen." He squinted and stared up at the azure sky peaking through the leaves of the trees.

He then continued walking. Walking until he reached his other destination. He stopped at the mouth of a long, dark and not so nice smelling, tunnel, letting out one more sigh—and unintentionally flinching—before he walked inside. His footsteps echoed off the walls and it made him feel slightly sick.

'_What am I doing here?' _he asked himself, _'I could have just run the opposite direction…after that assassination…' _

He shook his head and continued walking, _'No I couldn't do that! If I did then the parents to that boy…and his older sister…they would find out for sure. All because of…' _he reached into the pocket of his baggy purple shirt, pulling out the crimson blade. In the dark the blade didn't seem to be red. It looked black.

'_I…I could throw this away right now. I could turn back…I can do it. I know I'm fast enough. Master doesn't have to know.'_

At that thought he quickly turned around and practically ran back out of the tunnel and into the morning light. He stared at the blade in disgust, gripping the handle tightly before throwing it as far as he could.

He watched as it flew through the air and then hit a tree a few feet off from where he was standing. He smirked and pushed aside his bangs, walking forward.

What he didn't expect, though, was for someone—someone with blond hair—to cry out and flail backwards from behind the tree he had hit.

His eyes widened and he quickly backed away into the darkness of the tunnel, waiting until the 'someone' got up.

They did eventually, and it even further surprised him that it was a girl. A girl with short cropped blond hair. She was dressed in a plain white dress with long sleeves and a blue sash tied around her middle. Her eyes were shut tightly as she fixed the lone red ribbon in her hair

'_A…a Radiant?' _the boy asked himself quietly, waiting for the girl to open her eyes. When she did he nearly gasped out in surprise. Her eyes…were red, such a deep shade of red that they matched the blood that was on his blade…which was currently stuck in the tree.

She didn't seem fazed when she saw the knife. She just squinted and shook her head, taking a step back. She was about to turn and leave, but, just like that, she tripped again.

"Oww…stupid shoes…" the girl muttered, rubbing what looked to be like a swollen ankle.

'_Well it figures she'd be hurt, she's wearing sandals after all. Those aren't good shoes to be running in.' _the raven thought to himself, trying to suppress a smirk. But he was also suppressing the sudden urge to step out into the light and help the girl up.

'_It…couldn't hurt could it?' _he asked himself, but the reasonable part of his brain had something to say to that;_ 'Of course it would be a bad idea! Not only would your Master be angry with you, but it even further delays your…attempts…at an escape.' _

The boy let out a soft sigh, knowing full well that the voice of reason in his mind was just that—reason. It was never wrong, in the few times that it decided to help out…but…

He stepped out into the sunlight, walking over to the girl who was now struggling to get up, "Are you okay?" he asked when he reached her. This made her jump and turn quickly around to face him. The boy put up his hands, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You tried to throw a knife at me."

Well…he certainly wasn't expecting her to say that, but; "I was not. I didn't know you were there."

"But you're a ninja."

_'Okay…it wasn't a good idea to speak to her.' _

"Hah I'm right!"

The boy squinted down at her, "So you accuse me of being a ninja and just because I don't speak you think you're right?"

The girl flinched, "Well I _am_ right. I mean, What normal Orerines would walk around in clothes like _those_?" she asked, waving her hand at the clothes the boy was wearing, "I mean, you look like a _clown_."

That made the raven haired boy even more annoyed, "Did I ask you to criticize what I wear? I happen to like this outfit, it's both water proof, and it's comfortable to move around in."

"Which proves you're even more a ninja."

The boy felt his eye twitch, "You're really annoying."

The girl growled…literally growled at him, her blood red gaze turning from the same annoyed look he was sure he had on his face, to one of hate.

"And you growl like a dog."

In a split second the girl was up, and her hand was moving forward, clearly intent on connecting with his face in a painful slap.

But of course, the boy didn't want to be slapped, so he just stepped aside. This caused the girl to lose her balance and fall forward on the ground.

"You…" she whispered as she sat up, rubbing her nose, "could've at least caught me."

"Why would I catch a dog."

"I'm not a DOG!"

"But dogs growl…and you just growled. That makes you a dog."

"Grr…"

"See?" the boy stated, crossing his arms over his chest, "Or would you like to be called a monster instead?"

Now the girls hands were balled up in fists, "Just who do you think you are to call me a dog or a monster? You're a NINJA! You…you kill people for a living!"

The boy sighed, "Who do I think I am? Well, my name's Jay, and as for killing…so what?" he could help but let his voice shake as he said the last part of that sentence.

"I never asked for your name back! Ninja boy!" the blond snapped back, still glaring hatefully at him, "But since it's only polite, my name's Ruby."

Jay cocked an eyebrow, "Named after your eye color?"

"yes." The girl mumbled, closing her eyes as all the anger she once had drained out of her, "And I hate my eye color."

"Not my fault."

"I never said it wa—ahh!"

Jay quickly opened his eyes and turned around to see what the girl had been pointing at.

To his astonishment, and utter horror, he saw that in the shadows of the cave…was none other than…

His master. His master who had disgustingly long pale brown hair—which he kept coiled around his neck like a snake—pale skin and vibrant blue eyes. Just him being there made Jay flinch.

But he also had another man with him. A man who was much taller—and yet definitely younger than himself.

"Ah Jay, this is where you were hiding? So close to home, and yet never showing up, neh? How cute." Jay's Master asked, stepping towards him with a sickeningly wide smirk on his face.

In a split second Jay found himself pulled roughly into a hug, a hug he didn't want.

"M-Master?"

"You've been gone for nearly an hour, Jay, I was getting worried." His Master stated, running a finger down the boy's back—causing him to shiver in disgust.

"I'm sorry…Master."

"Apology accepted." His Master stated briskly before letting go of him and looking at Ruby, "And who might you be?"

Jay flinched as he felt his Master move past him towards the hurt blond. Whatever happened he knew it wasn't going to be good.

"What's your name child?" his Master asked again and finally the girl spoke:

"R-Ruby…"

"I see, Ruby eh? Hmm, you have such beautiful eyes."

Jay turned to watch as his Master stroked the girls face and examined her eyes. He could tell that, despite her attempts to hide it, Ruby was scared.

"How old are you?"

"T-Twelve…" Ruby answered back feebly, shying away from the man's touch. She looked as if she was about to throw up.

"I see. Jay, who is she?"

Jay snapped to attention, "I don't know, Master. I-I…I think she followed me here."

"Hmm…"

"Master Solon."

Jay nearly jumped as the other, younger, man stepped up behind him. He turned to look at the older man, and almost gasped.

This man looked to be in his twenties, maybe early thirties, and was about 6'3—from what Jay could tell first off. His hair was purple and finely cropped, and his eyes were a steel grey.

This man was—

"Ah, Vaclav what is it?" Solon asked, annoyance clear in his voice, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Yes Master…but I am busy as well."

Solon glared at the younger man before standing up, sighing in defeat, "Fine, fine, Valcav. But do _not_ forget your place here." He looked back down at the girl, "Why don't you come with us? And Jay?"

Jay nodded his head, "Yes Master…I-I'll look after her."

Vaclav raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing as he allowed Solon to take the lead into the dark tunnel. Once they disappeared into the darkness, Jay turned to face Ruby. He sighed and bent down, holding out his hand, "Come on, we'd better catch up to them."

"Why do I have to go?"

"Because he saw you."

"What does that have to—"

Jay's eyes narrowed, "Don't complain. Now come with me. You're lucky he didn't notice you're a Radiant."

The girl's eyes widened, "Wh-what…? You _noticed_."

Jay shook his head, "Of course I did."

"But," Ruby looked down at her feet, "My eyes are red."

The raven-haired boy shook his head, "It doesn't matter. What you're wearing, and the fact that the only place close to here is a Radiant village tells me that you are one. Now let's get going. I'll help you walk."

Ruby scowled but said nothing as Jay slung one of her arms around his neck, placing one of his own arms around her waist before helping her up.

A few minutes later and the two had finally made it through the long dark tunnel and out into the bright sunlight once more.

But this time, instead of standing in front of a forest, they were standing in front of a building. A building made of stone with steel plated doors and that was, quite literally, built into the side of the mountain.

"Here we are. They're probably already inside—let's go." Jay muttered, shifting his weight a bit before pushing on the steel door with his shoulder. Once inside, with the door firmly shut and locked, it was Ruby's turn to gasp.

"This…is the inside of a Ninja Base?" she whispered in awe, looking around with large eyes.

"Not a Ninja Base. Master has another—this is where we live."

"You and your Master? But why do you…live separate from the other ninja's?" Ruby asked, turning to look at Jay, who was in the process of tacking off his shoes.

He just shook his head, "You'll figure out soon enough." He took in a deep breath before stooping down and helping the Radiant girl to her feet again, "Now let's go. It isn't too much farther from here."

"What isn't too much farther?"

"Where Master and…and Vaclav are."

"Oh." She whispered, "Um…o-okay. They won't hurt me will they?"

Jay shook his head, "I doubt it."

Ruby sighed in relief.

"Then again that's a very small doubt. Master doesn't normally need a reason to hurt anyone anymore…sadly…" he looked down briefly, his eyes filling with foreign sadness, before he quickly recovered and began walking.

Sure enough, only two minutes later they reached a beautifully decorated—and in Ruby's opinion much too large—room. It was a study of sorts, as books lined the walls and there were many bookcases scattered about the room. At the end—through the somewhat maze that the bookshelves seemed to make—of the large room there was a large desk. Sitting at this desk, in the leather chair, was Solon. He had his elbows resting on the desk and his chin resting on his hands.

"Ah, Jay, Ruby, come in, come in." The older man waved his hand towards a nearby chair, Jay moved towards it and quickly sat Ruby in it before turning back to face his Master and Vaclav—who was standing right next to him.

"So you're the Jay I've heard so much about?" Vaclav stated, an almost evil smirk playing across his lips, "I've heard a lot about you."

Jay flinched at this, _'I know what he's going to say now. Everyone who hires me…everyone…says it.' _

"But I'm surprised such a young child could do so much."

"Now, now, Vaclav," Solon scolded, "Jay is perfectly capable of handling any situation."

Vaclav shook his head, "I know that, Master, I would never doubt your word. But I am…hesitant to give a—"

"Eleven year old."

"Eleven year old…" Vaclav coughed, looking slightly shocked, before he quickly recovered, "this mission. I want many people killed."

Solon smirked, "Oh don't worry about that. You don't mind killing people do you Jay?"

Jay mutely nodded his head, letting his bangs fall over his eyes, "No Master…I don't mind. It is my job after all."

"Yes, yes it is." Solon grinned, "And to make sure you do complete this mission…Jay come here."

Jay flinched at the coldness in his Master's voice, but there was also a hint of…of _that_ in there. That sickeningly sweet tone that made Jay want to throw up. When he chanced a look at both Vaclav and Ruby, he saw that they both seemed to hear that tone of voice.

Vaclav looked disgusted for a moment, but then the look in his eyes turned to a kind of knowing-ness that made Jay's stomach drop even more.

Ruby just looked plain disgusted, but she hid it well.

Once Jay had reached Solon, standing next to him, he asked hesitantly, "Yes Master?"

Solon smirked and turned his chair so that he was facing Jay. He leaned in towards the boy so that their noses were almost touching, "If you do not, for any reason, complete this mission then I will take you to that _special room_." His smirk widened as a look of fear flickered in Jay's eyes, "You wouldn't want that now would you?"

Jay wanted to shake his head, to tell him yes he would have hated it. But the consequences for doing that, he knew, were far worse than just accepting it. So he did nothing but murmur a quiet, "Yes Master." Before waiting to be dismissed.

But Solon didn't dismiss him, instead he turned to Vaclav, "I would like you to take Ruby here to one of the guest rooms. It seems she'll be staying here a while. Besides, there's something else I wish to speak to Jay about."

Vaclav nodded his head and walked over to Ruby, picking her up gently before carrying her out of the room—not a word leaving his mouth.

Shortly after the sound of the door being closed could be heard Solon gripped Jay's wrist, "Or maybe I should just go with you to that special room _now_?"

Jay gulped audibly, and almost…_almost_ shook his head. But he kept still, not saying a word.

This just made Solon laugh, "You're so obedient, my pet." He ran the fingers of his free hand through Jay's raven hair, gently untying the two ribbon-like clasps that held his hair in place off to the side of his face, "My Jay…" his voice was now a whisper as he stood up, dragging Jay forcefully over to one side of the room—to one of the many bookcases.

He picked up a lone book, a book that had some strange writing on the cover, and opened it. Almost automatically the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a door of sorts. Solon quickly kicked the said door, causing it to open, before pushing Jay inside.

Meanwhile Ruby was being forced into a room down the hall from the study. She struggled a bit, but not much. She knew she couldn't win. And when she had heard a scream—a scream that she knew _had_ to be Jay's even though she had never heard him scream before—she had stopped altogether along with Vaclav.

The screaming continued on before a sickening 'clunk' rang out.

Vaclav slowly peered out the door, towards the study, muttering, "Maybe this room is too close." He turned to face Ruby, "Let's go."

Ruby felt herself being lifted once more into the tall, slightly muscled, man's arms and sighed as she was carried off down the hall. The only thing she could feel then was pain.

And she hoped Jay—the Ninja boy she had only just met—was okay.

But somehow she doubted it.

And Vaclav—judging from the look on his face—did too.

* * *

And here it is, the end of Part 1 of Jay's Past. I guess it's a good thing I'm doing this, because I know I don't really get around to having Jay and Solon interact in Hidden Past (and in my other fanfic Nightmare) until much later. 

Well, I guess that's it until the next chapter—so please, tell me what you think by leaving a review! CC is welcome, but please, no flames.


	2. Split

**Crimson Chapter Two**

**By Harmony283**

**A/N: **Well I suddenly had a burst of inspiration for this fanfic (or at least I finally had time to sit down and type up the chapter) so here it is! Basically in this chapter you figure out (or you can guess at) what happens to Jay. And he has yet another interesting conversation with Ruby. And of course thank you **Cheea5, LittleLinor, **& **ReveredMage **for reviewing!

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A series of soft sobs could be heard from inside a scarcely lit room, hidden behind a rather large bookcase. Inside this room was a lone table made of steel with chains trailing down onto the floor. A small boy lay in the center of the table, his clothes, or rather what was left on him, were torn and soiled. 

The boy himself was shaking, whether from cold or fear, one couldn't tell. His hair, a shade of midnight black, lay loose around his shoulders, half covering his young face. His eyes were shut tightly as invisible tears raced down his face. His wrists were bruised as well as his stomach and chest—bite marks littered his neck and small scars ran down his stomach and hips.

Suddenly the door to this room opened and a shadow of another boy appeared. The boy sat up immediately, but then relaxed, "Wh-who…?"

The boy walked forward and smiled, "Are you okay Jay?" he asked, his voice gentle. Jay gulped and looked away, "D-do I…l-look okay?"

The boy chuckled, "No you don't Jay. Do you want me to get rid of the pain?" Jay's eyes widened as he heard this, and he quickly nodded his head. The other boy grinned, "I see. Then you'll have to trust me, understand? You will have to completely and totally trust me, m'kay?"

Jay nodded his head, "O-okay…but…but what if Master sees you in here?" He asked, looking past the boy towards the open doorway, "A-and how did you know about the door…? Or did M-Master send you?"

The other boy shook his head, pushing a stray strand of grey hair away from his eyes, "Don't worry your Master didn't send me. But it looks like you need help. I came because you called for me."

Jay blinked, "Wha-what? I didn't…call…I didn't say…anything." He wrapped his arms around his stomach protectively, "who…are you…?"

The boy sighed and walked over so that he was standing next to the table. He reached out and touched Jay's nearest leg, "You're hurting aren't you?"

Jay shifted to move away, but found he couldn't. His eyes widened when the boy's fingertips started sinking into his own skin, "What are you doing?!" his voice held restrained panic, but the other boy just smiled.

Then, in one quick movement, the other boy was straddling Jay's lap, pushing his hands away from his stomach, "You're hurt everywhere. Solon did this to you, didn't he?" he questioned, his grey-blue eyes meeting Jay's own.

"I-I…of course he did. Who else do you th-think could do this to me and g-get away with it." Jay tried to laugh, but it came out strangled, "You obviously have never heard of me. I'm the b-best."

The boy sat back and shook his head, "I know you. I know you well, Jay."

Jay tried to laugh again, "really? Then h-how come I don't know you? M-Master says that if s-someone knows you but then you don't know them then it's bad."

The other boy shook his head, "Well I'm not bad—me knowing you isn't bad at all. In fact," He leaned forward and kissed Jay on the forehead, "knowing me will help you. It will help you deal with this pain." Jay flinched as the boy's free hand made grabbed his wrist, "Solon is a sick man. Using you like this."

"But! I-I he said I deserve it." Jay looked away, "He says I deserve it."

"Do you deserve it?" the boy asked, tilting his head to the side, "do you deserve a pain for something you haven't done?"

"He wants me…to kill more people." Jay looked down at his lap, "And I don't think I can do it. R-Ruby looked so scared…I don't want to hurt her. Or get her hurt, so I _have_ to do it. But I'm scared."

The boy let out another sigh, "I understand. Ruby doesn't deserve any of this does she?"

Jay shook his head, "No she doesn't."

"She just followed you on accident. And you forgot to kill her." Jay flinched and the boy sighed again, "You do realize you've killed followers before. Why is she different?"

Jay gulped, "because she was unarmed."

"So you showed sympathy for her. You like things being _fair_ don't you? Well was this," He waved his free arm around the room, "fair? I don't think so. And do you honestly think Ruby will get away unscathed even _if_ you do as Solon wishes? I can tell you one thing," the boy's eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer to Jay, "she might get off much worse than you. You might have even done her a favor by killing her."

Jay shook his head and brought his only free hand up. He placed it on the other boys chest only to gasp and pull it away immediately, "Wh-what?!" He met the boy's eyes with his own, "Who _are_ you? What_ are _you? Are you a ghost? Are you someone else M-Master did this to?"

the boy laughed, "Right. Like I'd live through him doing this to me. No he hasn't done this," he again emphasized his meaning by waving his arm around the room, "to me. Though then I guess it depends on what you mean by that. He hasn't done it to _me_ but he's done it to a _part_ of me."

Jay's eyes widened even more than they already had, "Wh-what do you mean…? You can't mean that y-you're…?" he trailed off as the other boy nodded his head, "You mean you're a part of m-me?"

the boy nodded his head again, "Yes Jay, I am."

"then how can I see you? You're supposed to be inside of me!"

The boy laughed, "You used to not be able to see me because I wasn't created yet. I'm the part of you that hates Solon."

Jay shook his head, "I can't hate Master! He saved me when I was a baby! I almost died—I could have died—if he hadn't been there to save me!"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Right…well, I'm not going to convince you otherwise. All I'll say is I'm here to help you deal with this pain. Okay?"

Jay glared at him, "How can you say that right after you said you hated Solon!"

The other boy smirked, "See you said his name."

Jay's glare only intensified, "So? I-I can say his name…sometimes. He just likes it more when I call him Master." He shook his head, "Besides that. What…if you're a part of me…then don't you have the same name as me?"

The boy shook his head, "No I don't. My name is Alden. Call me Den if you want. No one else but you can see me."

"Oh…? That's…um…"

"And I'll only come out when you need me."

Jay flinched, "I-I see. But what happens…what do you mean by that?"

Den grinned, "You'll see."

Then he disappeared, leaving Jay alone in the dim room. But he wasn't alone for very long. Almost a minute later another shadow appeared in the doorway. This time it was a very familiar shadow, and Jay couldn't help but suppress a shudder.

"Ah, Jay you're awake." An all too familiar voice stated, "I was afraid my dear apprentice would stay asleep for another day."

Jay's eyes widened, "A-A day?"

Solon flicked on a nearby light switch, "Hnn yes. I was getting worried that I had been too rough on you."

Jay flushed at this, "R-Rough…? M-Master I'm…I'll be fine…"

Solon turned to face him and, for a split second a wave of kindness flashed through his eyes, "I see. That's good. Here," He walked over to Jay, handing him some clothes, "these should do for a while." He kissed his forehead gently, "now get changed. Or do you want help?"

Jay nearly sighed in relief at the sight of the clothes, "Ah…o-okay…" it wasn't like he could stand to put them on anyway.

"Good." Jay tried not to flinch whenever Solon's hands touched his bare skin, but getting his clothes on was much easier that way. Only a few seconds later and Jay was following Solon out of the dim room and into his office.

Once the door to the secret room was shut Solon immediately turned to face Jay, the friendliness in his eyes was gone, "Now Jay. You remember what I said you had to do? Will you do it?"

Jay nodded his head.

"Good. Now I'm sure you would like to see how your dear friend Ruby is doing. I had Valcav put her in a room not too far away from here. It's the room right next to your own. I'm sure she'd love to see you—and I'm _sure_ you could convince her to eat our food."

Jay's eyes widened, but he just nodded his head, deciding to stay mute for the moment. Solon then turned away, "Well then, you may go."

Jay nodded his head again and turned to leave. But not before the door to the office opened, revealing a worn out woman Ninja. She quickly bowed to Jay, her eyes showing admiration, before walking over to Solon, "She's still not eating sir. It's been almost two days since she ate. And I'm sure she's hungry."

Solon laughed, "I'm sure she is. Don't worry, Jay will take care of it."

The woman nodded her head and, after a deep bow to Solon, disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Solon looked back over at where Jay had been, only to see that he was gone, "Hmm, that boy…" he let out a sigh, shaking his head, "he gets to be more like you everyday."

--------------------------------

(A few minutes later, in Ruby's room)

"You have to eat."

Ruby scowled, "But I don't _want_ to eat. What if…what if it's poisoned!" she pushed the plate of food away from herself in disgust, "how can _you_ eat in this place without know you'll be poisoned?"

Jay scowled, "Because I'm Master's apprentice. He wouldn't kill me no matter _how_ mad he gets."

Ruby's eyes widened and she immediately looked away, "Oh…right. I-I forgot."

Jay sighed, "How could you forget? It's only been a day since you've been here. From what Master told me, you need to eat. And you haven't eaten for two days."

Ruby flinched, "And I keep saying what if someone's poisoned it?"

Jay tried hard not to roll his eyes, "Would it help if _I _cooked your meal for you? I have no intentions of poisoning you."

Ruby shook her head, "But what if you Master _tells_ you to poison it."

Now it was Jay's turn to flinch, "He wouldn't ask me to do that…I don't think."

"You don't think!" Ruby pushed her chair back from the small table, nearly making it topple over, "now I'm definitely not going to eat it!"

She stood up quickly and made her way towards the bathroom that adjoined to her room, "I'd rather eat _soap_ than eat something poisoned!"

She almost reached the door, but Jay appeared in front of her with a spoon full of the soup she had been given. Before Ruby could say anything else he slipped the spoon into her mouth, a confident smirk appearing on his face as she swallowed.

"Oh for the love of—you made me _eat_ that!" she slapped Jay, who didn't even flinch, and then she slapped him again, and again he didn't flinch, "At least act like you're hurt!" she then shouted at him.

Only to find herself pinned to the wall, "I won't act like I'm hurt when it _doesn't_ hurt. And besides, if you can slap me then it's obvious that at least the soup isn't poisoned." Ruby opened her mouth to say something but Jay continued speaking, "that and I assure you I would know if _soup_ was poisoned. It's easy to tell. Or at least it is for me."

"But you're a ninja! You kill people by stabbing them, so how do you know how to…." She stopped speaking when she saw the look in Jay's eyes.

"I know all methods of killing people. I could kill you in an instant with my bare hands if I wanted to."

Ruby shivered, "Y-You wouldn't."

Jay sighed, "Yeah I wouldn't. I have my orders. And they are to make sure that you eat. So finish your soup." He backed away from the red-eyed Ferines and led her by the hand back to her chair. He waited until she started eating to start thinking, _'Well at least she's eating now. I suppose I should leave soon. But what if she wants me to stay? And I really don't want to go back to Master so soon. Then again, all I know about my next mission is that it's for a former ninja—for Valcav, and that I have to kill many people.' _

"Are you okay?"

Jay jumped and looked over at Ruby, "What?"

Ruby shook her head, "You just sighed, and you look annoyed. And worried. What's wrong?"

Jay rolled his eyes, "Why do you care? But if you must know I'm thinking about my next mission. I know nothing about it."

Ruby shuddered and placed her spoon back in the now mostly empty bowl of soup, "You're still going to do it? I-I mean, yes I know you've killed a lot of people before…but…it's wrong."

Jay nodded his head, "I'd be worried if you thought any differently."

Ruby flinched, "But it's still wrong! Killing people isn't the answer!"

Jay's eyes narrowed, "Do you honestly think I can _do_ anything else at the moment."

Ruby flinched again, "Well my friend…she says there's always a second option! And I don't think she's lying!"

Jay groaned, "Your friend, hmm? What would she know?"

"She knows a whole lot! Especially cuz she's…" Ruby trailed off, "She's been…such a great friend. Even though I know she has problems of her own. I-I mean, she's the only friend I have and…she's awesome, and so is her sister…"

"You miss them."

Ruby nodded her head, "Yeah. My friend, she's like my sister. She's a year younger than me, but she's so much wiser than I am. A little more hot-headed but," she giggled, "both her and her sister are that way."

Jay's eyes narrowed, "Well that's interesting. You said you were twelve correct?"

"Uh-huh."

"So she's my age."

Ruby nodded her head again, "Yup! If I ever get out of here I'm so going to tell her about this."

Jay shook his head, "You mean if you _do_ get out of here. I hope you realize that it won't be that easy."

Ruby looked down at her lap, "I kinda figured that out. I'm not even allowed to leave my room unless someone's watching me. And something tells me you ninja's are good at watching."

Jay shrugged, "more like stalking but that's close enough."

Ruby giggled, "I guess yeah. You know…"

Jay looked over at her, "Hmm?"

"You aren't half bad for a Ninja." Then she started laughing, "I never thought I'd say that. I just always thought Ninja's were emotionless killing machines. That's what everyone says."

Jay's nearly froze at this, "That's because we _are_ emotionless. And we _are_ killing machines."

Ruby shivered at the icy tone of his voice, "I-I know you're that way when you're…on missions…and stuff. But right now you seem just like a normal eleven year old. Actually, you seem like a slightly colder—and boy—version of my friend. Except for she's probably a little…uh…brighter than you." Then her eyes widened, "ooh you should meet her!"

Jay scowled and turned to leave, "You don't get it do you? If I ever _do_ meet your friend, I'd have to kill her."

"But you didn't kill me!" she immediately shot up from her chair and latched onto Jay's arm.

"And I probably _should have_."

Ruby flinched again, "But why? I…didn't mean…to follow you. I just saw you and…I'm sorry."

Jay's eyes widened, "So you _did_ follow me. Why would you follow me."

"I just…I was interested. I kinda figured you were a ninja and all…with the way you were running through the trees and stuff, and I know I shouldn't've followed you but I did. I don't like it here, and I can tell you probably don't because of whatever your Master did to you yesterday," Jay tensed and Ruby dropped her voice, "What _did_ he do to you?"

"You mean you can't guess?" Jay grated the words out, suddenly feeling nervous, "besides it doesn't matter anymore. I need to ask him more about my mission."

Ruby let go of his arm slowly, "But what if…he…does it to you again?"

Jay sighed, "he _won't_. He won't until I get back at _least_."

Ruby bit her lip, "He's sick."

"keep your comments about him to yourself."

Ruby looked up at him in shock, "But—"

"He is my Master. I am his Apprentice and I _will_ be until I take over his position, he dies, or I somehow get out of here." Jay whispered, "and until then, don't say anything bad about him around me."

Then, just like that he 'poofed' out of the room, leaving Ruby standing in front of her door with a shocked expression on her face. Slowly she made her way back to the table she had been sitting at, and she sat down, "He…he's so…" she leaned her head against the table, "different. I wonder…what would you think of him?"

she let out a sigh and closed her eyes, _'Yeah…what would you think of this…?' _

* * *

Ta-dah! And here's Chapter two It's not very long, but I doubt any of my fanfic chapters (that I write any time soon) will be very long –bows head- so yeah. Oh and can anyone guess who Ruby's friend is? If you do you get a cookie! Oh and if you review you get one too. -nods head- so yeah, R&R but please no flames! 


	3. Den

**Crimson Chapter Three**

**By Harmony283**

**A/N:**…it's scaring me how much inspiration I'm suddenly having for this fanfic. Um, well, I guess I just feel like writing it now. Just a warning the beginning is a bit…eh…there's blood. Also, unlike the last two chapters this is in Jay's POV. Why I felt like doing his POV I don't know…but I felt like it so here it is. Enjoy! And of course thank you **ReveredMage, Cheea5, **and **LittleLinor** for reviewing for the last chapter!

Oh and because I keep forgetting…

**Disclaimer: **This is FANfiction, do you think I'd be writing this if I owned the game?

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I watched the blood soak through the ground, feeling the familiar hum in my veins. I _wanted_ to feel sorry for this woman. I really did. She didn't even know what had happened, much less the fact that she was going to die, _'She doesn't even know why she's dead now.' _I thought bitterly, turning my head away. I couldn't--I _didn't_ like this. But I had to do it. I pushed a strand of hair away from my eyes, grimacing as I also wiped some blood on my forehead. I quickly grabbed the handkerchief from the womans pocket and wiped the blood off before dropping it on her chest.

I watched in morbid fascination as the blood soaked through the once pure white cloth, _'I shouldn't be staring.' _I turn my head away and start walking down the hallway. This was the right building. Not that it mattered much, she was my fifth victim in this household out of…eight. Why Valcav wanted them dead, I didn't know. But that woman was just a maid--why did he want a maid killed?

I pushed open the large wooden doors at the end of the hall. They obviously led into the main sleeping quarters. I let out a sigh when I stepped quietly into the room. Why was I always right? There, in the near center of the room was a large master bed. In it were two elderly people--the man was nearly bald and the woman had her white hair done up in a braid.

Too bad they weren't going to live to see the morning--though that was probably a good thing. Not many people had the bliss of falling to their death in their sleep. I let out another quiet sigh and made my way to the bedside. Instead of raising my knife I pulled out a small flask, _'Make them die as naturally as possible. Heh, this should be easy.' _I slipped the flask opening into the womans mouth and watched as the liquid inside flowed into her mouth. She immediately swallowed.

_'She'll be dead in an instant.' _I nearly drop the flask afterwards. But no evidence, except of course the five maids, could be left behind. I tuck the flask back into my shirt sleeve. Then I pull out another and walk over to the other side of the bed.

Really this was too easy. The man also had no trouble swallowing the liquid. They would both be dead by morning. Though by then…by then the poison would have already gone through their system and it would look like nothing more than food poisoning.

It fascinated me, and sickened me at the same time. How could Master show no sign of pain? Then again…it wasn't like--I shook my head, _'Master is Master. That is all.' _

I turned and silently left the room I already knew the one other member of the family was awake. He was Valcav's younger brother--Valin, or something along the lines of that. A genius of sorts, not a fighter, _'He is weak--and easy to kill.' _

I stealthily made my way through the empty halls. And finally I made it to the last room on the most inward hall. I saw a light on underneath the door. I was right, he was still up. Tired, maybe, but still awake. I smirked, _'So dedicated to his studies…this is an excellent way for him to die then.' _

The door creaked open unexpectedly and I immediately hid in the shadows. Out walked the man, Valin--he was a near splitting image of his brother, except for he had nearly no muscle.

"I know you're out there." He said, looking around calmly. But his eyes never found me, "Brother sent you to get rid of us didn't he? How many have you killed so far, Ninja?"

_'Ah, he _is_ smart.' _I stepped out of the shadows. I could feel Den getting restless inside me. He knew I would have trouble killing someone as smart, or smarter, than I, _'You can kill him then.' _I say inside my head, _'but first let me…have some fun with him.' _

"So you know I'm here?" I ask, sounding calmer than I felt, "How…odd. Valcav said no one would know."

Valin whirled around and gasped, "You? But you are just a child!"

My eyes narrowed, "I'm eleven years old, so technically no I'm not. Besides," I cocked my head to the side, "Age is nothing but a number."

Valin opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head, "Yes but your maturity is a whole other issue and it has everything to do with your age. Tell me why you--" He stopped his sentence for a second, seeming to think it over before speaking again, "Mother and father? They are dead aren't they."

"It depends, what do you think."

Valin sighed, "I'd take that as a yes--and thank the Gods for it too. That's probably the only smart decision Valcav will ever make." He looked me over once with his eyes, "really though…just for the sake of asking, are you a boy or a girl?"

This caught me off guard, "What do you think?" I felt offended, but it wasn't like I was going to show it.

Valin crossed his arms over his chest, "Hmm, let me see…I'd guess you were a guy, in fact I'm sure you are but with your loose clothing…and your face you could pass as a girl."

I couldn't help but scowl lightly at that, "Oh really? Well then you are correct," I bowed, "I am a boy."

"And your name? I could at least get your name before you kill me too." He sounded hopeful, but not as interested as I thought he'd be.

_'Jay you're giving away too much information as it is!' _Den shouted, I tried my best to shut him out by saying, _'No I'm not--I said I wanted to play with him.' _

"Fine then, my name is Jay."

Valin chuckled, "Why even your _name_ clouds your gender. I'm sure you already know," he unfolded his arms, "But my name is Valin." He ran the fingers of one of his hands through his hair, "I'm Valcav's smart, but not too strong, younger brother. Though I will warn you I might not be good at fighting but I _am_ a Crystal Eren."

I rolled my eyes, "Wonderful. Thank you for telling me yet another thing I already know." I slid a knife into my hand, but Valin didn't even notice. Or at least he didn't act like he noticed.

"I see. You do know a lot don't you?" Valin laughed, "though I have to say I'm surprised I'm still alive right now. You're a Ninja. Ninja's kill for money."

I really did scowl this time, "Yes I am a Ninja. I'm an apprentice to my Master--he is the one who gets the money."

"But why did he choose you?"

My scowl deepened, "Not only is that none of your business, but if you must know I am the best. And in all honesty," I stopped there and shook my head, slipping another knife into my hand. I would strike him in his chest and in his stomach--that way he couldn't heal himself as quickly, "No, never mind." I finished.

"He pushed you in a corner didn't he?" Valin suddenly asked, almost looking sympathetic, "He pushed you into a corner that you can't get out of."

"What?"

"Your Master," he said, shaking his head, "He pushed you into a corner so you can't get out. Or…do you not want to get out?"

_'Jay let me kill him please. He's getting to deep into the subject! You'll break down if he says anymore. Just get me close to him and I'll move your limbs for you. Okay?' _Den sounded concerned even though I knew he was angry.

So I ran, Valin's eyes widened--he hadn't expected me to attack. I was right up next to him and he gasped. Slowly I whispered, "Do you honesty think I wanted to be a Ninja? Really you're right. I _had_ no choice."

I could feel the shift as Den took over. I saw my arms move and the flash of silver…then I blanked out.

When I came to, to my utter surprise, I was in my room in Master's home. I sat up in bed, looking around, _'How did I get here, Den?' _but he didn't answer.

Instead I got my answer when Ruby walked in. I seemed to be seeing her more and more each passing day, "Ruby?"

She tried to smile but she looked sick, she placed a finger to her lips, "Shh. I'm not supposed to be in here, really. But I had to see you. I-I," she walked over to the bed and threw her arms around me, "I heard what happened. And I don't want to stay here anymore."

I blinked, what?

"You heard what happened?" I asked, "But you already knew about the mission. You forced me to tell you before I left, remember?"

She shook her head and pulled away from me, "That's not what I meant. I meant…I meant I heard what Solon did to you." She looked like she was going to cry, "I-I saw him carry you out…you were b-bleeding um…" she shifted away from me and blushed, "th-there…and I…I…I'm so sorry but I want to leave. I can't stand being near someone who does that. It's sick and wrong."

I rolled my eyes, "And I've lived with it since I was a baby. I want to leave too but I can't. If you somehow escape…you do realize Solon wouldn't let you go far? He won't let you go back to the village _ever_ unless there was a Ninja watching you at all times. Heaven forbid he makes that Ninja me."

Ruby's eyes widened, "You mean he could do that? I could go back home? He could make _you_ the Ninja that watches me?" I scowled. She was a little _too_ happy about it.

"Why yes," we both jumped and turned our attention to the doorway. Solon stood there against the doorframe with a knowing smirk on his face, "I could let you be the one to escort her back to the village. In fact, that sounds like an excellent idea! Jay do you mind playing a little spy for me?"

I flinched, "N-no Master I don't mind."

Solon's smirk widened, "Ah good boy. Then you can leave."

And just like that he poofed out of sight. Ruby looked shocked though, "Just like that?!"

I sighed, "He was obviously standing there for a while. And as _much_ as I hate to say it yes he does do that sometimes. He must be in a good mood." I sighed and thought to myself, _'Which is why I feel so sore. Poor Ruby…she's still crying.' _Before I knew what I was doing I was leaning forward and wiping away her tears with my hands, "Don't cry please. I don't deserve to be cried for."

I really knew I shouldn't have said that. But…she smiled she actually _smiled_ at me. She pulled me into a hug then, "Thank you Jay." She whispers before springing up, "I'm so happy! I get to go back! And you can finally meet my friend!"

I tried to smile back, "Yes you've been telling me so much about her. But you never told me her name."

Ruby whirled back around to face me, "_Whaaat_? Really? I never did?" I nod my head and she blushes, "Oh! W-well her name's Thyra--but we all call her Hope because that's what her 'real' name is. She has a twin sister, like I told you, and her name is Fenimore."

I nod my head, "I see. She…from what you told me they both have interesting personalities. But Fenimore…she's the one who hates my kind? Orerines?"

Ruby looked down at her feet, her bright mood immediately saddened, "U-Unfortunately yes. Hope doesn't mind one bit though. She's practicing to be a healer--she can use Crystal Eren to heal like you wouldn't believe! But the last time I was there…Fenimore got really mad at Hope for healing a hurt Orerines traveling through the area. I still don't know if they're mad at each other. I saw you shortly after the fight. Hope must be so worried about me…"

I sighed, "Look you're going back…once I get ready." For the first time since I woke up I had realized I had barely anything on, "so let me get my clothes on and we can leave. I'm sure your village won't mind feeding me…if you make up some sort of story."

Ruby tried to smile at this, "Well most of the people in my village are actually nice to people. Or at least they're nice to the ones we see because they're usually lost and hungry, or sick and seeking medical attention immediately. We have some of the best Crystal Eren in the village! Oh…wait, what kind of Eren do you use?"

I blinked, "Ah, what? Oh I'm an Iron Eren."

She stared at me for a few minutes, "Really?" she finally asked, "Then how come some of your attacks are elemental? I heard two Ninja's talking about it after they came to report to Solon."

Oh…right, "If you want to know the truth I have no idea. I can also call on Lightning magic--I'm not sure how I do that either. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "No, it was my fault for asking. Um, I-I leave now so you can get ready."

And, just like that, she was gone.

_'…Well, well, well if I didn't know any better I think she might have developed a crush on you.' _Den said, and I could feel him grin.

I sighed, "No I don't think so. How can someone develop a crush on someone in under a week?"

_'It's been eight days since she's been here.' _Den pointed out, _'So technically it's been _over_ a week.' _

I slid off the bed and walked over to my closet. I pulled out my usual outfit and slipped it on, "Hnn well I don't like her that way."

_'Oh really? But you don't want anything to happen to her?' _

I pick up the nearby brush and walk over to the lone mirror in my room, "Well she shouldn't even be here. And she obviously has friends who will worry about her."

_'Even though she doesn't look like your regular Ferines? What if she just made up her friends so that you would like them?' _

I scowled at my reflection, "That's far-fetched and dumb if you do say something like that."

_'Ah…well you never know.'_

"There's near a one percent change of that actually happening, Den," I scold as I try my best to brush out a knot in my hair, "Now are you planning on coming out again anytime soon? And if you are please keep me awake during it. If what you said was true--that Ruby's been here for eight days that means I've been asleep for nearly two days."

_'Yes that's right.' _

I scowled, "I don't want you to take over again for a while. If Master notices…my personality shift then…"

Den didn't respond for a while, but, when he did my face paled even more, _'He already knows.' _He had whispered it, and I almost didn't catch it.

…Shit…

_'No need to use foul language at me, Jay.' _I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and gasped. But I didn't look away from the mirror, _'Please don't be mad.' _

"Then…" I shook my head, sighing, "There's nothing _I_ can do about it."

Den smirked, _'really well then I guess I should tell you, Solon's good in bed. I may want to kill him, but he's rough just like I like it.' _

I blushed and felt disgusted at the same time, "You…_like_ him?"

I felt the arms unhook themselves from around my waist, _'Well yeah. I guess I do. I hope you don't mind.' _

I felt like I was going to be sick, "But you're supposed to _protect_ me."

_'And I am. I'll deal with him when he acts like _that_ to you. When he does _that_ to you. That's what I'm here for anyway. And someday I'll be the one who makes you kill him, even if you don't want me to.' _

I really, _really _felt like I was going to be sick, "You're sick."

_'You do realize you're saying that you yourself is sick. Since I'm a part of your personality.' _

I grimaced, "Well that part of my personality…I don't _want_."

_'Well too bad, I'm free and I don't come with refunds.' _Den laughed.

I dropped the brush then and slammed my fist into the wall next to the mirror. The mirror shook a bit and nearly fell, but it didn't.

Instead I heard a knocking on my door, "Jay? Are you okay?!" It was Ruby, she sounded worried.

_'Hmm, well it looks like we're even.' _Den said, still with a hint of laughter in his voice, _'you deal with Ruby while I deal with Solon.' _

"Jay? Jay can I come in?"

I sighed, "Yes…you can. But I'm fine, really."

Ruby opened the door to my room, "A-are you sure? I heard a loud thump and I though…" she trailed off, shaking her head from side to side, "Well at least you're standing. I'm…um…I'm just waiting for you now because I really don't have anything to p-pack."

I nod my head, "That's true. Yes I'm ready now. I'll just take a few of my knives with me, just in case if we run into some monsters on the way to your village. Don't worry, I know the route pretty well, though you'll have to be the one who gets us in the village."

Ruby nodded her head, "I-I okay. I'm glad Solon's letting you come with me, though. I think it'll be good for you to get out more--not just for missions." She smiled at me and I looked away.

_'How can she smile at me?' _I think to myself, hoping that Den wouldn't respond. But of course he did.

_'Because she likes you. Didn't I already tell you that.' _

"Jay? You look like you're in pain. If…um…if you still are then when we get to the village I can ask Hope to give you something to help ease the pain."

I sigh and nod my head, "That…would be appreciated. Now I'm ready, you're ready, let's get out of here. I'm sure Master will want to see us off though."

Ruby scowled, "Really? Because it's you?"

I nod my head, "And I have to see how often I come back."

Ruby sighed, "Okay…yeah you're right."

"And he'll probably make you swear not to tell anyone about…why I'm really there."

She flinched at that, "I got it. That's what I meant when I said okay. But the more time we spend here the less time we have to get to the village today. I've already eaten lunch but…you haven't eaten anything yet."

I shake my head, "I'll be fine. Assuming that the Ferines eat dinner, then yes I'll definitely be fine. I've gone a few days without food before--I'm used to it."

This seemed to make her sad, but she didn't say anything more. Instead we just made our way down out of my room and down the hall. When we passed Solon's study I saw him leaning up against his door. He pulled me to the side with a grin on his face, "Come back at the end of every week, understood? I'll send a Ninja in the night if I want to see you any sooner than that."

I nod my head, "Yes Master."

He smirks, "Oh and I loved our little…get together," he dropped his voice, "Den, I believe his name is, is very good. I'd love to see more of him."

I tried to keep my face emotionless as I mumbled a quiet, "Yes Master."

Then I caught up to Ruby, who was already waiting by the door. She gave me a questioning look but didn't say anything more. Instead she turned and pushed the large double doors open and we stepped out into the warm afternoon sunshine.

And, for a split second I felt free. I felt like I could run away again. But I knew I couldn't. I couldn't run, and I couldn't hide. I was still under Solon's orders…and I had to follow them--or else.

And I really didn't want to know what the silent 'or else' was in Solon's mind. But hopefully I could handle it.

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And that's the end of Chapter Three--it's even a bit longer than the last chapter! If the whole Ruby being there for eight days confuses you, well, Jay found her, and he passed out for a day--that's two days, he was gone for about 4 days, he was out cold for nearly 2 days and that makes 8 days. I hope I didn't just confuse you even more -cough- Well, in the next chapter I'm planning on introducing Thyra and Fenimore--don't be surprised by the way they act though, they're younger than they were in the game. As always R&R! Reviews make me update faster! And of course, CC is welcome too.


	4. Lilac Lily

**Crimson Chapter Four**

**By Harmony283**

**A/N:** Well…I just definitely died on this fic for while, now didn't I? I have to apologize to my readers/reviewers. I didn't mean to be gone from this fanfic for so long. You could say I hit a writers block except for the fact that I didn't. Don't get it? Don't worry the important thing is I wrote this chapter and uploaded it. Also, for a bit of a change in pace, I'm writing this in Ruby's POV (or at least the beginning's in her POV) and then the end will be in Thyra's. And of course I'll say a BIG thankyou to ReveredMage -hugs- since she's the reason I haven't run out of ideas for this story (and of course yes I'm ACTUALLY using Ruby's Teriques XD).

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I almost collapsed, really I did. How Jay could walk this long without getting tired was beyond me. Then again he was a Ninja. Ninja's didn't just _get tired_. But they did notice things. They obviously had to be aware, especially when they're in enemy territory. But they even noticed the small things. Small things like a girl they should have killed being tired.

"Do you need to rest?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at me, "It's almost lunch time anyway."

"Ah y-yeah, I guess I do." I could feel my throat tighten nervously. I wasn't scared of him--how could I be when he was being nice to me? And when I knew he wouldn't hurt me? But the look in his eyes always startled me. They were sad and dark. Dull like they had never had a shine in them before. Like a dark flame embedded in him--he wasn't necessarily _bad_ but he hadn't been taught to be good either. He was in-between, more bad than good but he was someone who wanted to be good. He _had_ to want to be good. Who wouldn't? Especially if--

"This is all we have to eat," I blinked as he held his hand out. It was a sandwich--a normal looking sandwich. But I didn't know that. I couldn't tell if it was poisoned or not like he could.

"Is it--"

He let out a sigh, "No it's not poisoned. Again _I'm_ the one who made these and I have no intention of poisoning you."

"But does So--" I caught myself when I saw him flinch, "I-I mean…o-okay. Let's eat!" I walked over to a nearby tree and nearly collapsed against it. My legs were sore, so unbelievably sore. Not that I'd tell him that. He probably wouldn't be nice about it.

Or not. I've only known him for a week.

_'Eight days, eleven hours, 32 minutes, and six seconds,' _I flinched, stupid mind keeping track of stuff like that. Why did I always think time was important? It's not like I was going to die young anyway, _'Not that I know that but…' _I looked back up from my sandwich when I felt Jay staring at me.

"Are you okay?" He asks, but his voice held no sympathy, or empathy, or whatever that word was. He was just asking for the sake of asking. I really wish he didn't ask then.

"I--yeah I'm fine." I take a bite out of my sandwich just so I wouldn't have to look at him. But I could tell he was still staring at me, though not as intensely as before, _'He probably doesn't believe me. So is he worried?' _

That excited me for some reason. If he was worried, even just a little bit, it meant he _cared_. And if he _cared_ then that meant he wasn't an emotionless robot of a human. He had the chance to undo the damage that horrible man--the man he still called _Master_--did to him.

_'But is that the only reason--' _an image passed through my mind, the one of that…that dream. The dream I had the day he came back. The day Solon took him to his room and he didn't leave for a whole day.

_'But that dream can't be true. I-I've only known him for a week. It's not like he likes me that way anyway.' _I couldn't keep the blush away from my cheeks though as I took another bite of the surprisingly delicious sandwich. After I was done chewing I looked up, I swallowed, then I asked, "Why are you still staring at me? Don't you know it's rude to watch someone while they eat?"

He shifted a bit and looked out at the road, "Because you're obviously lying and you're worried about something."

I was worried? How did he…?

He looked like he expected an answer, but what was I going to say? I gulped again, this time out of necessity, and said softly, "Well it doesn't look like you've even touched your food. Aren't you hungry?"

He looked down at the uneaten sandwich and shrugged, "I--no…I'm just not hungry right now."

_'But he hesitated.' _

Why did he hesitate? And why did I notice it? And why did he look so sad now? And why did I notice that?

"Jay…? Are _you_ okay? I mean, are you okay now, at this moment not…" I couldn't find it in me to continue.

And obviously he didn't want me to, "I'm fine." His reply was so cold it made me shiver, "If you're done eating lets go. Your village shouldn't be more than an hours walk away."

Great. Another hour of walking. But at least it was better than when we had started--a 4 hour walk on a continuous stretch of road never sounded appealing. Especially when someone told you how many miles that was. Definitely not appealing at all.

But now my home was only an hour away.

_'But is it really a good idea to go back with Jay? Wouldn't that hurt more than gain?' _I let out a sigh and stretched. I wouldn't know that answer til I got there. Besides, "I'm sure you'll like it at my home. I'm sure everyone will be nice to you!"

He didn't look so sure of that though. He just kept eyeing me like I was insane or something. Before hesitantly, to the point where I almost didn't catch it, he nodded his head, "I…suppose. Maybe. Let's hurry."

And for a while we walked in silence. The kind of silence I really didn't like but that I knew I'd have to deal with at least sometime or another. But I already dealt with it enough. I shivered even though it wasn't cold and looked around. The woods we were in looked vaguely familiar--not that I left town that much except those few times with Hope…

My eyes widened when they fell on a patch of bluish white flowers growing neatly by the side of the road. For a moment I just stared at them. They were…the same flowers…that Hope used to make medicine with her grandmother. That meant we _had_ to be close. Only maybe fifteen minutes away!

"Jay!"

He jumped when I latched onto his arm. He obviously wasn't expecting it, "What?" the tone was still cold but I didn't mind so much now, "Look, look!" I pointed over to where the group of flowers were, "C'mon, we're already close but…these flowers smell really pretty!"

He let me drag him over to the batch of flowers and I could tell he was interested. He'd obviously never been this close to the village before, "What kind of flowers are these?" He asked, leaning in close to one of them.

"They're called Lilac Lilies. We use them all the time to make medicine. They're really effective but ya have to be careful. Their nectar is poisonous." He pulled away a bit and I smiled, "But don't worry their aroma isn't."

I picked one and held it up to my nose to smell it. It still smelt sweet--it smelt like home. It made me happy. I turned to Jay and held it out for him to smell. He did and he smiled--though it only lasted a second before it disappeared again, "That does smell good."

I nodded my head, "Yup doesn't it?" I held the flower up between us and that's when I noticed, "And it matches your eyes. Kinda."

He blinked a few times looking shocked, "R-Really…?"

That's when I noticed something else. He…his eyes…there was a weird kind of hallowness to them. They always said the poison was fast acting. Yeah I knew that. But the poison was in the nectar and it hardly ever got out in the fumes. What small amount ever did wasn't harmful unless--

"Jay? Jay are you okay?!"

Was he…?

Yup…he definitely was at least somewhat allergic to it. Or was he just sensitive? I dropped the flower on the ground as he keeled over. I managed to hold him upright a bit before he fell to the ground, taking me with him.

"JAY!"

His breathing was labored as he looked up at me, "I…what _is_ that flower?" he asked, "I-I thought you said it wasn't poisonous…" but he didn't sound mad. He sounded like he knew this was going to happen.

"I-I that's because the nectar is usually…it never leaks out in the _smell_. A-Are y-you are you _allergic_ to it?"

He shook his head, "I don't know…you said you had healers that…that dealt with this flower right?"

That's…yes that's right. I nodded my head and laid him gently on the ground, "Um…I-I don't know if this'll help any but I don't wanna leave you here. So," I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes. In a flash of red I felt it.

My Teriques.

It fluttered out next to me, its red wings flapping gently in the air, "please go find Hope. Hope and her grandmother."

The Teriques understood and flew off towards the direction of the village. Just then Jay let out a violent cough and gripped his stomach. It always affected the stomach the most. Any poison did. Hope told me that.

"Don't worry Jay," I maneuvered so his head was now resting in my lap, "Hope will come soon."

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(Thyra's POV)

I hadn't really thought about it much when they said that Ruby had run out of the village again. She did it almost every week--one day she would get this crazy idea in her head and she'd be gone the entire day.

What I wasn't expecting was that it was an actual _week_ that she'd be gone in. Now even the people who thought she was annoying were getting worried. Even sister was worried, and she wasn't even _here_.

I let out a sigh as I picked up the nearby basket, "Grandma I'm going out to the forest again. We're getting low on Lilac Elixir and…" I trailed off as I noticed my grandmother, sleeping hunched over in the rocking chair. She had been up all night again, creating some grand new potion. A potion she wouldn't let me even so much as _touch_ or help make.

Then again that was just a safety precaution. I was only eleven years old after all. I didn't have a powerful immune system yet. Or at least that was the only excuse she made up that actually made any sense.

I turned away and opened the door before heading out. The sky was a clear shade of blue and there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

_'It's going to be cold tonight then,'_ I let out a sigh and walked past the small garden in front of our house and past the other small houses and shops that made up our village. It was one of the largest--not to mention most peaceful--of the Ferines villages. Even Maurits, the Mayor of the other Ferines Village--the village my sister was visiting at the moment--said that we would have no problems with humans. And so far we hadn't.

Not that some of our people held their arms open wide and welcomed them. And it wasn't like the humans--the Orerines--liked us either. Just a stopping point town with everyone who looked the same.

Except the fact that we _weren't_ the same. In fact Fenimore and I had darker hair that most other Ferines. And if you looked closely we all had different shades of blue for our eye color. Or we even had varying shades of purple and, in Ruby's case, red eyes.

We might look alike from a distance but--

Before I realized it I was at the edge of town. One of the guards smiled at me and waved, "How's your grandmother doin'? I heard she was up late again last night."

I sighed and shook my head, "She's asleep right now. She's working on a new potion."

The man's eyes lit up, "Really now? Well when ya hear anythin' new about it be sure to announce it."

I nodded my head and turned back to the path. But I didn't get very far. Suddenly something red--a bird? Or a butterfly?--came fluttering up to my face. Wait a second…

"Wait you're--you're Ruby's…! Is she in trouble?!" No really she wouldn't have just called out her Teriques for no reason. Obviously she was in trouble. To be gone for a week without coming back--or sneaking back into the town at night and leaving again--obviously meant something was _definitely _up. Or had she been just too far away from the village to try and contact us?

But where was she being held and why the heck was she close enough now to contact us, or why did she decide to wait a week before--

I was thinking too much. I had to get to where she was now. Her Teriques seemed to understand that I wanted to know where she was so it flew off down the path, but it never once got too far to where I couldn't see it's red glow.

Finally after ten minutes I saw it stop somewhere ahead of me. I looked around me briefly and recognized where I was. Near the flower patch. Did Ruby accidentally break a flower? Did she try to see if I was lying about the nectar being poisonous? But she _said_ she believed me when I told her.

I quickened my pace and nearly stumbled over a stray root. That's when I saw her, she was sitting on the ground. But why was she sitting? If she was poisoned she'd already be on the ground throwing up--

Oh.

That's when I noticed the boy whose head was resting in her lap. He was panting and obviously in pain. Had he…? But I didn't see any broken flowers unless Ruby was sitting on one.

She turned to face me and gasped, "Hope! Oh thank the Nerifes." I thought she didn't believe in Nerifes. No wait…that wasn't important. I rushed over to her and that's when I saw the flower.

But it wasn't broken so I quickly picked it up and placed it in my basket. No use in letting material go to waste, "What happened to him?"

She looked down at him and whispered, "I-I'm not sure b-but I-I he was taking me back to the village a-and I told him to smell one of the flowers because they smell really pretty and I think he's either sensitive to it or allergic to this kind of p-poison because h-he just collapsed!"

He was taking her back to the village? I wanted to ask why but the fact that the boy was so pale had me worried, "I…I see. Come on then, we have to take him back to the village. Do you think you can help me carry him? Or do we need to get one of the guards to come help us?"

She shook her head and maneuvered a bit before poking the boys nose. Did she _really_ think that was going to wake him u--

Okay I take that back.

The boy groaned and tried to sit up, "Jay can you w-walk…o-or at least lean on one of us?" So the boys name was Jay? He looked up and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

He had the most stunning…and sad…looking eyes. They were a pale grayish purple that almost matched the shade of the flower in my basket.

"I-I think so…" he rasped out as he tried to stand. Immediately though he gripped his stomach and I rushed over to help him.

"How long ago was it…?"

Even though it wasn't a complete sentence Ruby seemed to guess at what I was trying to say, "about fifteen minutes."

Yes the poison spread fast but to already be affecting his movement…? Yes he definitely was allergic to it, "Let's get him back to the village." Ruby nodded her head and helped hold Jay up on the other side of his body. With her Teriques leading the way we made our way down the path towards the village.

(1 hour later)

I let out a tired sigh as I slumped back in my chair, watching grandma once again ring out the washcloth before soaking it again the cool spring water and placing it back on the boy's head. I looked up at the clock that hung over the bed. It had been an hour. An hour since I found him, 50 minutes since we had given him the medicine, and yet…he still had a fever.

And it seemed like he was struggling with something--a nightmare--as he lay in the patient's bed at the sick house. What baffled me though, is the fact that the medicine seemed to work slowly. Or maybe it wasn't even affective at all? It was made to treat a person who was just poisoned by this flower. Not someone who was fatally allergic to it like this boy was.

But he was fighting it. He had a fever to prove it.

"Okay," I blinked and looked back at grandma again, "I believe he's stable now. At least for the moment anyway." She looked worried though, grandma _never_ looked worried, "How ironic," she murmured and I could tell she wasn't talking to me anymore, "that just when I'm creating a potion to treat this condition a boy arrives who needs it." She stood up shakily and walked past me, "If he wakes up tell him what happened. I'll call Ruby and _then_ I'll start working on this potion again." She took one brief glance at the boy and shook her head, "Though I wonder…why a boy like him was with Ruby in the first place."

"All she said was that he was taking her back to the town, so I don't know." I looked back at the boy's pale face. It was unusual that he…he didn't even have a flush to his face despite his fever. Was he just naturally pale? He couldn't be albino unless he died his hair and somehow changed his eye color. Or was it that strange skin condition that it said people had when they went through something so scary that they're 'scarred for life'?

"Hope how is he?!" I nearly jumped as I felt someone's arms lock around my neck from behind.

It was Ruby.

"How does he _look_." I grated out, unlatching her arms from around my neck, "But he's doing much better than he was when we got here."

She let out a sigh of relief at that, "Oh thank _goodness_ I was so worried." And really she did look worried. She walked over to the chair where grandma had been sitting and sat down, "Besides I needed to thank him anyway. I would've never gotten to come home if he hadn't suggested it," She giggled, "Even if it was kinda by accident."

"…Where _did_ you go?" I asked, and really I wanted to know, "And where did you, no, who _is_ he?" My eyes focused on the sleeping boy in the bed, "He looks really young and you said his name was Jay."

Ruby nodded her head, "Yeah his name's Jay. Um…but I don't," her hands gripped the fabric of her skirt, "I don't know if it's my place to say how he…how I know him. But you could say I-I was held hostage for a few days by a man named Solon and that…that he, that Jay's his apprentice…of sorts."

My eyes narrowed, "Then how could you trust him to bring you home?"

She gulped audibly and shook her head, "Nononono! He took me back because I wanted to go home. A-And Solon allowed it saying there really wasn't a reason to keep someone like me there. That it'd just cause trouble. Y'see it was kinda my fault for following Jay in the first place because…um…I-I had never really seen a boy around our age that lives anywhere near here and I-I wanted to know where he lived so I followed him and met Solon and Solon got mad and…y-yeah…I was captured." She looked down at her lap and then back up at me with a less-than-confident smile on her face, "But y'know it's _aalll_ good now! Y'know why? Because I'm back! And Jay's going to stay here for a while too!"

My eyes widened, "Why?"

"Because apparently Solon, um, apparently he does business with the people in this village a lot and he wants to make sure we're safe. Or something like that. Jay said that his…that _Solon_ is very careful about how he deals with stuff like this and that if you do any sort of business with him, in this case most of the people he does business with pass through this village, so…yeah."

What a way to end a sentence, "So his name's Jay right? How old is he?"

She seemed relieved that I changed the subject, "He's the same age as you, eleven."

My eyes widened, "But he looks so _young_."

She nodded her head, "Yeah he does, doesn't he? And he looks kind girly but trust me he doesn't act anything like the way he looks."

That caught my interest, "Really? Well then tell me about him." It was rare that Ruby showed so much interest in someone. Especially an Orerines. Yes she was fine with them, she didn't hate them or anything. But sometimes they were mean to her so she hardly ever talked to them.

So why was this boy different?

I listened as she talked avidly about him, how he could cook, and how sometimes he could be really cold but that she believed he was a caring person, and how he acted so much like an adult that you'd actually believe he was at times and how sometimes he could be mean to her, especially if she said anything mean about Solon. Then she went off on how he had tried to comfort her when she was scared and from the look on her face I could tell…

"Do you like him?"

She blinked a few times, her mouth still open from what she had just been saying. Then her eyes widened and her mouth slowly shut. For a moment she was silent before asking, "What? I-I mean, like him as in _how_?"

I shook my head, "I mean like him like him." At her confused face I decided to be blunt, "I mean do you have a crush on him."

For a moment she just stared at me then her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and she looked back at the boy lying in the bed, "I-I…no I don't think so."

"Then you wouldn't be blushing right now." I stated, again bluntly. She couldn't just fall in love after a week of knowing this guy that, well yeah she knew some about him but there was only so much you could learn about a guy in a week or less.

"I'm not…okay yeah maybe I am but…" she looked away, "How can I like a guy in a week?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "You tell me. From my point of view it sounds like you do. And if you don't mind me saying so, no I don't think you falling for someone like him is _bad_ or anything…but,"

"But what?" She asked, she looked so confused, "I know it's taboo since he's an Orerines but," she reached out and took the washcloth from his head before wringing it out and soaking in more fresh water before placing it back on his head again, "he needs to have someone who likes him."

"What?"

"He…I'm sorry." She stood up immediately, "It's not my place to say. But I guess yeah I _do_ like him." Then just like that she walked out of the room and she nearly slammed the door behind her.

That's when I knew. I didn't know if her feelings were going to be returned or not. If he was as cold as she said he was, it was going to take a while to even gain any kind of friendship with him. But I _did_ know it wasn't going to be easy.

Something stirred in the back of my mind. This wasn't going to have a happy ending. And it made my stomach tie in knots--it made me feel sick. Because I knew this and yet…

Something told me I wasn't going to tell them.

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And that's the end of Chapter Four. It definitely gets tense at the ending now doesn't it? Oh yes, and Ruby isn't the ditzy blond type who just wants to change someone because of her great love (friendship or more) for him/her. She _is_ capable of having deep thoughts--but she tends to ignore them -nods head- makes for an interesting character later on. Though something tells me I made these characters sound too old (especially Thyra) but eh. As always R&R! Reviews are wanted and greatly appreciated


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